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Day #55: Hoax Hunters (Comic)

The “Hoax Hunters” are the stars of a Final Destination-style reality tv show, which sets out to debunk stories about mythical beasts and paranormal beings. Little do their viewers know that they’re actually part of a secret organisation working to keep the lid on the very real world of the supernatural.

My take:

From the moment I read about the concept for Hoax Hunters, I was hooked. I love shows like Final Destination (shut up), Ghost Hunters (shut up), Haunted Highways (shut up), etc. So a comic about a show that takes the Fact or Faked (shut up) format one step further, by actively seeking to discredit accounts of paranormal activity as a way of hiding the truth? Right up my alley.

And, for the most part, I have to say that Hoax Hunters has kept me as pleased as punch, riding the line between paranormal romp and its cheesy reality tv format with aplomb. It’s even managed to bring some fresh ideas to the table, and grapple with some old stories in quirky ways.

The artwork has also been consistently great – although I do have to admit to missing the style that was around in the first half of the first season. At first I was actually really put off, because I’d become accustomed to the sleek, digitally-rendered illustrations that filled the page of the first half of the season. But, after a bit of adjustment, I realised that the artistic style that takes over in the later issues is different, it’s still good; and if it weren’t for the sudden and dramatic change, I would’ve never had a complaint.

What I do have a bit of a complaint about, though, is what appears to be a pretty dramatic shift in the plot at around the same time this change in art style occurs. In fact, one of the characters (the only female, no less) seems to do a complete 180 on something pretty important with little in the way of justification for her decision. This shift was a little hard to take, and – several issues later – I’m still not sure I’m completely okay with it.

Still, I’m looking forward to seeing where the second season of Hoax Hunters will be heading.